1. Field of the Invention
THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a safety arrangement for a motor vehicle, and more particularly, relates to a safety arrangement for a motor vehicle in the form of a light truck, pick-up truck, van or sports utility vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many vehicles, in the form of motor cars for private use, are provided with front and rear bumpers (also known as fenders), and may also be provided with side bumpers (or fenders). Typically, the bumpers on a motor vehicle are located at such a height above the road that the bumpers on the vehicle will engage the bumpers on another vehicle if the two vehicles are involved in an impact. Typically, the bumpers are located substantially in alignment with the floor-pan of the vehicle, if the vehicle is of monocoque construction, or are located substantially in alignment with the chassis of the vehicle, if the vehicle has a discrete chassis.
The bumpers are thus positioned to receive the energy that is applied to a vehicle in an impact situation and to transfer the energy to the parts of the vehicle structure that have been designed to absorb the energy.
There are nowadays an increasing number of vehicles in use on public roads, which may be described as “high” vehicles, in which the vehicle is provided with a substantial ground clearance, with the consequence that the bumpers provided on such a vehicle are located at a significantly higher level above the road surface than the bumpers on a more conventional “low” vehicle. Examples of such “high” vehicles may include light trucks, pick-up trucks, vans and sports utility vehicles.
When a “high” vehicle of the type described above is involved in impact with a conventional motor car, the bumper on the high vehicle is located substantially above the bumper on the conventional vehicle, and thus, in a frontal impact, the bumpers will not engage one another.
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration showing a high vehicle 1 about to be involved in a frontal impact with a conventional vehicle 2. It can be seen that the front bumper 3 of the high vehicle 1 is located substantially above the front bumper 4 of the conventional vehicle 2, so that during a frontal impact, the front bumper 3 of the high vehicle 1 will ride up over the front bumper 4 of the conventional vehicle 2. Thus, substantial damage will be caused to the conventional vehicle 2, and the crumple zone provided in the conventional vehicle 2 may not deform in the intended manner.
If a high vehicle 1 is involved in a side impact with a conventional vehicle 2, as shown in FIG. 2, very substantial damage can be caused to the conventional vehicle 2, since the bumper 3 of the high vehicle 1 will impact the conventional vehicle 2 at a level well above that of the floor pan 5 of the conventional vehicle 2. In such a situation, the bumper 3 of the high vehicle 1 will engage the door or side panel 6 of the conventional vehicle 2, and it is to be envisaged that if the high vehicle 1 impacts the conventional vehicle 2 with a velocity in excess of a very low velocity, the door or side panel 6 will be driven inwardly into the interior of the conventional vehicle 2. An occupant of the conventional vehicle 2 may thus be seriously injured.